The Romney-Perry bad blood

The fact that Rick Perry and Mitt Romney wouldn't exactly begin a 2012 competition liking each other is a known fact in political circles, going back to the former Massachusetts governor's days at the helm of the RGA in 2006.

But the Austin American-Statesman dives a bit deeper into specifics, including the fact that Romney retained ad-man Alex Castellanos at the RGA, at a time when the consultant was also advising Perry's then-rival Carole Keeton Strayhorn.

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There's also this bit, dating back to Romney's days as head of the Salt Lake City Olympics effort:

[In 2007], Perry snubbed Romney and the rest of the Republican presidential field by endorsing former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani. And then he singled out Romney for criticism in his 2008 book about the Boy Scouts, "On My Honor."

Perry wrote that Scouts were rebuffed when they offered to work as volunteers at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, repeating complaints from some Scout officials that Romney, the president of the Salt Lake Organizing Committee, would not return their calls.

"Several years have gone by," Perry wrote, "and neither Mitt Romney nor anyone else who served as an official of the 2002 Winter Olympics has given a clear and logical explanation of why the door to volunteerism was shut."

He then speculated that Romney was trying to avoid offending gay activists who were unhappy with a 2000 Supreme Court decision saying the Scouts could bar a gay Scoutmaster.

"We know that Romney, as a political candidate in the politically liberal state of Massachusetts, has parted ways with the Scouts on its policies over the involvement of gay individuals in Scout activities."

The Deseret News apparently reported before the book was written that Romney said a bunch of Scouts didn't meet the minimum age requirement of 18.

This makes Perry the second presidential contender this cycle to have aimed a direct hit at Romney in a book - the other was Mike Huckabee, who derided his 2008 campaign and his Massachusetts health care plan.

It sets quite a tone at the outset this cycle, along with serving as a reminder of a constant theme of the 2008 presidential race - the extent to which other candidates, to the point of banding together in opposition, disliked Romney.